The Lady Marauders (0-3) scored the first five points of the the opening game, but Eastern (2-0) rallied back to take the lead at 8-7. The Lady Eagles continued their roll on to a 25-12 victory, highlighted by five straight service points by both Katlyn Barber and Annalisa Boano.

“We came out tonight, really excited with high energy,” Eastern head coach Katie Williams said. “You could really tell in game one that we were ready to play and our serving was on. In game two Meigs made appropriate adjustments, came out playing hard and ready to battle back.”

The Maroon and Gold rolled to an 8-0 lead in to start the second game, on eight consecutive service points by Devyn Oliver. EHS pulled within four points of Meigs, but nine straight service points by Morgan Lodwick allowed the Lady Marauders to take the second game 25-13 and even the match at 1-1.

“We hit a great streak right there,” Meigs head coach Lori Carter said of the second game surge by MHS. “They started talking; they started jelling together and playing defense.”

Eastern rallied back in the third game, allowing Meigs to record just two service points. Lady Eagles’ libero Elayna Bissell recorded nine consecutive service points in the third to help the Green and Gold to a 25-12 win.

“In game three we just kind of cleared our heads,” Williams said. “The girls talked to each other and figured out what they needed to do, we made some adjustments and they worked pretty well. We talked about communicating where you’re going, communicating where the setter’s at and communication in general.”

Eastern never trailed in the fourth game, which had just one tie at 1-1, and the Lady Eagles secured the 3-1 match victory with a 25-14 triumph.

“Even though we lost this evening, I am very proud of the girls’ effort and the never give up attitude that they have,” Meigs head coach Lori Carter said. “We’re a very young team and we’re still learning the basics of playing with hitters. We don’t have height, so we have to learn the defensive part and we’re just now coming together.”

The Lady Eagles’ service attack was paced by Elayna Bissell with 17 points, including six aces, while Morgan Baer and Annalisa Boano both had 10 points with three and two aces respectively. Hannah Barringer and Katlyn Barber both marked six points, with Barringer recording three aces. Kelsey Johnson marked four points and two aces, while Morgain Little added one point.

Devyn Oliver led the MHS service attack with 14 points and 10 aces, while Morgan Lodwick added 10 points and three aces. Paige Denny marked five points and an ace, Devin Humphreys finished with two points, while Maddie Hendricks added one point in the setback.

Johnson led Eastern at the net with 13 kills, followed by Mackenzie Brooks with five. Boano and Barringer each had four kills, while Baer, Bissell, Barber and Emily Sinclair each contributed one. Little posted a game-high 26 assists for the Green and Gold.

Humphreys marked nine kills and a block to pace the Maroon and Gold at the net, while Kassidy Betzing posted eight kills and four blocks. Alliyah Pullins marked four kills, Oliver added three kills and a block, Lodwick marked two kills and a block, while Jordan Roush finished with one kill. Oliver marked a team-best 13 assists for Meigs, while Roush anchored the defense with three digs.

The Lady Eagles, who took part in Saturday’s Athens Invitational return to action on Thursday when Federal Hocking visits ‘The Nest’, while Meigs’ will return to the court on Tuesday at Wellston. The Lady Marauders and Lady Eagles will clash again on September 12, in Tuppers Plains.